Evaluation of the relationship between childhood traumas and emotion regulation skills in terms of adult obesity

• Published in: Archives of psychiatric nursing 2024-08, Vol.51, p.62-68
• Main Authors: Özer, Burcu, Yılmaz, Sevil
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Body Mass Index; Child; Child Abuse - psychology; Childhood trauma; Emotion regulation; Emotion regulation skills; Emotional Regulation; Female; Humans; Male; Obesity; Obesity - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0883-9417; 1532-8228; 1532-8228
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apnu.2024.05.009

This study aims to reveal the relationship between childhood traumas and emotion regulation skills of obese and non-obese individuals. The research is a comparative-descriptive and correlational study. The obese group included 52 people with a BMI ≥ 30, and the non-obese group included 58 people with a BMI ≤ 25 kg/m2. Information Form, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire (ERSQ) were used in the study data. The rates of total childhood trauma and physical neglect were significantly higher in obese individuals (53.8 % vs. 32.8 %; 50 % vs. 22.4 %, respectively) than in non-obese individuals. Obese individuals were found to have lower emotion regulation skills. While a significant inverse relationship was found between childhood trauma and emotion regulation skills total and sub-dimension scores in obese individuals, no significant relationship was found in non-obese individuals. Psychiatric-mental health nurses can play an active role in the prevention and treatment of obesity by providing emotion regulation training to individuals in their roles as counselors and educators. [Display omitted] •It has been supported that obese individuals have more childhood trauma.•It is seen that the emotion regulation skills of obese individuals are not developed compared to non-obese individuals.•Childhood trauma increases in obese individuals, and their emotion regulation skills decrease.